A time for new beginnings

In some ways, it's been a tough year to be Jewish. Synagogue arsons and anti-Semitic shootings in Chicago and Los Angeles have left some of us feeling nervous about being Jewish in public.

It's scary to think we could be targeted by bigots, and frightening to witness the potency of their venom and determination. It's sad we have had to beef up security, sad we have to waste any time at all worrying about locked gates and security guards.

But as the new year descends tonight at sunset, let us try to let hope triumph over fear. Let us rejoice in the feeling of community we experience when we gather to pray and celebrate at synagogues and in the homes of families and friends.

Coming together as a community should give us strength and resolve. Coming together to mark the High Holy Days is a reminder of our commitment to being Jewish, even in the face of threats, and a chance to rethink what it means to be Jewish in this day and age.

It is also a chance to reflect on what can be done to minimize hate and violence in our society.

But hate crimes should not be the only thing on our minds during this holiday season.

Rosh Hashanah is a time to reflect on all the good things that have happened to us as individuals and as a community over the past year.

It's a time to celebrate the ways we have grown and changed, the accomplishments we have achieved in our personal, professional and communal lives.

No matter what stresses we have experienced in the year now ending, this is a time of new beginnings.

No amount of hate can take away that sense of promise.